The Carrie Diaries Season 2 Finale Review: New Beginnings

Somewhere over the course of two seasons and 26 episodes, I forgot The Carrie Diaries was supposed to be a prequel to Sex and the City, and just let the show stand on its own two feet as an entirely separate entity. In a way, that's the highest compliment I can bestow upon the series, because I was never a big fan of SATC. I found it self-indulgent, and Carrie's inability to make a decision as an adult annoyed me enough that I've probably only seen 10 or 15 episodes, and I'm okay with never revisiting it. The Carrie Diaries, about a teenage Carrie Bradshaw living in Connecticut and Manhattan, has never been a ratings hit for The CW, but that doesn't speak to the series' quality.

While most of the network's series now fall squarely within the realm of genre TV, The Carrie Diaries (along with Hart of Dixie) feels like a series that could have—and probably would have—existed on The WB. Pardon me while I clutch my pearls and channel my inner grandmother, but not every TV show needs to constantly ramp up the drama with sex, drugs, scandalous affairs, and some kind of supernatural romance. We still have a need, at least in my mind, for shows like The Carrie Diaries, shows that can be described as good, clean, coming-of-age dramas. The low ratings that such shows typically receive make it difficult to back that statement up, but The Carries Diaries has always done well in online streaming, which probably says more about the way The CW's audience watches TV than it does about the demand for or the quality of the series itself.

Knowing that "Run to You" might end up being a season finale and a series finale is kind of soul-crushing for someone who was raised by The WB and who wants to see its legacy live on. The Carrie Diaries is one of the best teen dramas currently on the air, and personally, I don't mind its good ol' heartstring-tugging drama. The show's 1980s setting certainly made it easier for the writers to focus on more innocent, family storylines, plus the soundtrack was awesome. But the '80s eventually ended, and so too will this era for Carrie Bradshaw. Now I'm just hoping that she'll get another season first.

And if she does, she's got a lot of reality to face. Carrie thought she knew what she was doing when she opted to forgo NYU for the job at Interview magazine, but things didn't turn out like she thought they would. Larissa was abruptly fired from Interview, and Carrie was swept out with the trash, as she so eloquently told Sebastian. While I hated to see Carrie fail, I applaud the series for knocking Carrie on her ass. Everything was coming so easy to her, and while I understand that in 1986, going to college wasn't necessarily considered as non-negotiable as it is now, I still sided with Tom in the you're-an-idiot-for-passing-up-college camp. At 18, most of us think we're geniuses, and that we've lived long enough to make all our own decisions without any input or advice, but hahaha we're dumb and that's not true. Simply having a high school diploma doesn't mean someone's smart enough to make the right decisions regarding their own future, and the fact that Carrie was fired, and then couldn't get in to classes at NYU, drove home that fact that sometimes our parents really do know what's best for us. They're speaking from experience, and I'll be the first person to admit that at 18 (and 21, and 24, and 26) I probably should have listened to my parents more often. Carrie is lucky to have a father who cares about her future, and as she realized she couldn't pack up and move to Malibu because she'd be running away from something—not toward it, the way Sebastian was—I silently fist-bumped a pretend Tom Bradshaw in my mind.

Much like the Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and the City, Carrie of The Carrie Diaries didn't always make the best choices, but her decision to say in New York and live with Samantha was absolutely the smartest move she could have made. Watching her say goodbye to Sebastian as he departed for the West Coast to run a business with Tony Hawk (LOL) was very sad, because I really enjoyed Sebastian and Carrie together as a couple (also, Austin Butler's face is basically perfection), but that's the natural progression of life. As high school ends and college begins, people's lives change, and sometimes, friends we thought we'd have by our sides forever eventually start living their own lives.

One of the worst tropes in television is the one in which high school friends all go to college together. Making the transition from a high school series to a college series is probably one of the most difficult things a teen drama ever has to face, but sending a close-knit group of 18-year-olds to the same university is more unrealistic than saying they all won the lottery and bought a house next to Emily Thorne in the Hamptons. People mature, they grow up, they go to different colleges. It's just what happens. So it's nice to know that while Carrie and her friends will get to spend the summer together, they'll all go off on their separate journeys come fall. Mouse is headed to Harvard (and she had one last rendezvous with West), Maggie's engaged to Pete (that seemed kind of sudden, right?), Donna's going to Columbia (because homegirl is pretty and smart), and Walt is back with Bennet and will be attending college in the city in the fall. All of these characters will be moving on with their lives, and that's the way it should be. As sad as I'll be to say goodbye to The Carrie Diaries if/when the axe comes down on the show in May, at least "Run To You" gave us a real ending. All of the show's loose threads were tied up, and I feel good about saying goodbye to this version of Carrie Bradshaw, even if I don't really want to.

NOTES

– Larissa's wedding to Harlan took place in an actual airport terminal. Not that I think that was actually possible in 1986, but could you imagine someone trying to do that in 2014?

– For the record, can I just state how much I love the way Walt and Bennet's storyline played out? Having a gay couple in a series set in the '80s made me really happy, and it was a perfect setting to explore that world. Even though it's unlikely they stay together, they ended up happy as of the finale and that's great.

– Maggie got engaged in a laundromat. Romantic.

– It's going to cost $550/month to live in that awesome loft in New York in 1986. Sigh. Looking back on that now, it seems hilarious.

As a SATC fan, I only grew to like season 2 of the Carrie Diaries. I enjoyed the quirky yet lovable characters. My heart broke when Carrie & Sebastian parted ways. You're right- the retro soundtrack, 80s flash & feel good vibe will be missed!

Like you said this is a good clean coming of age drama. It's almost remnence of the wonder years. It would be a shame if this was the end with all the other crap on tv that won't die. I think the show would pull more ratings on a different day and time slot. I would be sad if that was the end :(

If that's was the Carrie diaries finale I'd be really sad... I enjoy it a lot.. and i love it for one reason.. they never go the easy way, they take a clichè (and you think OMG I've seen this so many times I already knows how it ends) and just twist it... that's refreshing and surprising.

Great review. You mentioned many things on my mind. Once I was hoping this show will go on for years and watched Carrie grow up to adulthood.

Now I am not too greedy and if there is a great 3rd season with lesser episodes like Nikita, I would be happy enough.

I loved many characters on the show including Mouse and Dorrit. I did not liked Sebastian or Donna in the 1st season but they have won me over. That says a lot about the writing and the actors playing them.

I am a SATC fan but this show deserves just as much credit. Too bad audiences did not give it a chance.

I haven't seen much of the show, not my style, but I have the feeling AnnaSophia Robb has a bright future ahead and is going to do bigger and brighter things on TV and movies. She's adorable and talented.

GLAD you spoke nicely of Dixie in this review, unlike some colleague of yours ^^

I'll be sad if this was the end for Carrie's teenage adventures but it was well told at least!!!

However, I don't understand how you couldn't like SATC cuz to be fair I delayed my watching of TCD for a while cuz I looooooooved SATC, however both shows happened to be equally great for different reasons, they're two different worlds 'bout the same character & that's what makes those so special.

I'm beginning to think if we met in real life we'd really get along Kaitlin, (not that I'm hitting on you or anything), but I'm amazed we often agree on what we're watching ;)

I agree 100% on literally everything this post touched on. In a way I hope this was the series finale BECAUSE it would be a great ending to where sex and the city could pick up from. But I also would LOVE for it too keep going because I love it too damn much.

I loved Sex And The City and I loved The Carrie Diaries.I never thought when I started watching it I would grow to love it as a seperate entity from SATC but I did.I was raised in the 80s and this is a show I would've watched then and now.That is why I watched Sex And The City,I was a fan of SJP's from the time she was on Square Pegs in 82-83.There aren't nearly enough shows like this on.I would love to see it continue.I would certainly watch it.But if this was the series finale it was a good one and I'm proud to add The Carrie Diaries onto my list of my favorite TV shows ever where it will be joining Sex And The City.

I know the ratings have been terribly low, but this show is too GOOD to be shut down. I mean, yeah, it has his strugglings and some characters that they need to get rid off (I'm looking at you Maggie and Dorrit), but that doesn't overshadow the fact that being a prequel of Sex and the City and being set in the 80's has been done so well for a show marketing young audiences.

I think this is the best episode of the series. Her relationship with Sebastian has been developed wonderfully, and we get too see that in this season finale. I'd want to see more of that, how she's going to grow in the city, and what will happen with Walt and Bennet (I love Bennet), with Kydd, Larissa, Tom, etc. Everyone has done a pretty well job, but Ann-Sophia Robb is the best.

That being said, I didn't like Sex and the City and never tought about seeing teenage series. But this one I feel it's something else. So yeah, I'm not giving up on this show.

I enjoyed watching The Carrie Diaries.
This episode was a little heartbreaking for me. Sebastian was the best boyfriend in the world and now he's gone...*sob*
The only thing I didn't like about TCD was Carrie's selfishness in some situations. But that kinda goes with the portrayal of her in SatC, so I guess that's forgivable.
I still hope the show will be continued.

i really hope that that wasn't the last episode but if so, I feel like it was a good ending. We don't know what became of everyone but it's almost like when you actually graduate from high school. You don't always keep in touch with everyone but you can kinda guess what they're doing now.

Besides, we technically already know about Carrie's future. But it would've been nice to have met Miranda.

I think I'll miss Walt, Dorrit and Donna the most, actually. Way more developed than their book counterparts.

*sighssssssssssssssssssss* *puts on "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds*

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